In the days of fintech and social media, can the traditional “3 Gs” of guns, goons, gold still distort the genuine voice of voters? Yes. And authorities are not standing down.
THE Philippine National Police has stepped up its operations against private armed groups (PAGs), political warlords and threat groups as it works with other agencies, including the Commission on Elections, to ensure the safe and peaceful conduct of the elections next years.
In these days when fintech and social media have drastically reshaped the way politicos influence voters, the so-called “3 Gs” (guns, goons, gold) may seem like a trite term, but the record shows they remain as much a risk to free and orderly elections. Hence, responding to the threats they pose remains top priority for both PNP and Comelec.
On Thursday, the Comelec en banc released several issuances it crafted, including Resolution 10741. This contained the guidelines on the establishment and operation of checkpoints and the ban for carrying firearms and other deadly weapons, as well as engagement of security personnel.
The PNP is one of the three agencies—the two others being the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine Coast Guard—that make up the Joint Peace and Security Coordinating Center (JPSCC), which was formed this year to undertake coordinative effort, primarily to ensure the integrity of the local and national elections in May next year.
The formation of the body was made with the constant reminders from the Armed Forces of the Philippines’s chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Andres Centino, and PNP chief General Dionardo Carlos for soldiers and policemen to remain apolitical.
Ensuring the credibility of the elections and its peaceful conduct was one of two most important tasks of the police and military under the last year of the Duterte administration. The other is ending insurgency before the end of the President’s term in June next year.
The PNP said it is working to disband PAGs following its identification initially of six groups which could pose a threat to the peaceful holding of the electoral exercise next year. The operations, in its early stage, includes profiling the members of the group, their links to politicians and the extent of their capabilities.
“Aside from these, there are also about 138 potential PAGs that [we are] monitoring. Now that the election is fast approaching, we might expect that these groups may be activated,” Carlos said.
“If an area is infested with PAGs, deployment will be augmented in those places,” he added.
Murder, mayhem and cheating, or at least allegations of dishonesty against politicians, have always characterized the country’s elections, and the JPSCC wanted to do away with this tag under President Duterte.
Cases of violence
Late last month, gunmen ambushed and killed a councilor of San Simon, Pampanga and his companion. Carlos said that although it could not be concluded yet as election-related as the polls remain six months away, politics was certainly among the motives that investigators are looking into.
Early this month, gunmen also ambushed two municipal mayors of Basilan while they were walking toward a mosque in Zamboanga City, kiling one of them.
In tightening the lid on PAGs, the police wanted to restrain these groups from being used by their political patrons against opposing candidates, halt their criminal activities and stop them from intimidating voters and harassing communities.
Since the communist group has been making financial killings during elections through its “permit-to-campaign” and “permit-to-win” fees over political candidates as claimed by the government, police and military officials have called on the candidates not to fall prey to this scheme.
“The PNP will be decisive as ever in seeking to disband and disarm these private armed groups. Simultaneous with interdiction operations, we will deny these PAGs the economic support systems that sustain its operations through criminal activities such as robbery, kidnapping, drug trafficking, smuggling, illegal gambling and other illegal ventures,” Carlos said.
“The PNP takes shelter under the authority bestowed by Comelec as its deputized agency to meet head-on any and all threats to the May 2022 elections,” he added.
Under the Omnibus Election Code, policemen and soldiers are not allowed to go inside voting precincts, but are tasked to maintain peace and order around its areas.
The PNP and AFP are also mandated to secure the transportation of ballots and other election paraphernalias.
Aside from PAGs, the New People’s Army and other armed groups, the PNP also wanted to rein in political warlords who are elected into office throught threats and intimidation, and even by killing their opponents.
A classic case of political warlordism in the country was the election-related killing of supporters of a candidate in Maguindanao in November 2011. All in all, 58 people were killed during the massacre, including 32 local journalists.
Carlos said the PNP is working this early to foil attempts by warlord politicians to employ and mobilize private armed groups in their plans to influence the outcome of the elections in their favor.
As part of the overall effort to ensure the peaceful conduct of elections, the PNP has intensified its campaign against loose firearms, which the military is also duplicating in Mindanao, especially in the provinces of Maguindanao, Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi where security challenges persists.
Indeed, while a massacre of the scale of Maguindanao’s carnage may no longer be repeated, the threat of violence continues to cast a shadow over next year’s exercise. How far it succeeds in distorting the results is anyone’s guess.